Czechs increasingly unhappy with work commute

Brno, Czech Republic – According to a survey conducted by Prague-based Grafton Recruitment, 30%, of Czechs declare they are unhappy with their work commute. This represents a 7% increase compared to last year.

So what exactly are Czechs unhappy about? The study points out that, due to the shrinking unemployment and rising job vacancies in the country, Czechs’ willingness to move long distances for work is falling, as is their tolerance with longer commutes. Two thirds of the respondents said they would not be interested in moving even if it meant more interesting and fulfilling jobs with higher wages.

The Czech Republic currently boasts the highest job vacancy rate in the EU (5.4% in the second quarter this year, +1.8 pp year-on-year) and one of the lowest unemployment rates (2.7% in August) in the bloc, according to the latest Eurostat figures.

Due to a tightening labor market, young graduates and professionals’ expectations regarding their job are rising. The commuting time is only one aspect of it.

“Czechs want to travel for a maximum of 30 minutes, but one fifth of survey respondents are travelling longer”, Jitka Souckova, marketing manager at Grafton Recruitment said. “Employers looking for new workers should focus on this group. They are the people who will most likely be the most open to change if they get an offer of adequate work at a smaller distance from home”.

According to the study, 13% of respondents declared working from home, and two thirds of them said their commute was 30-minute long or shorter.

The survey also showed that, although roughly 40% declared they were interested in moving abroad for work, most of them usually ended up staying in the country. Higher wages and better working conditions are the main factors for Czechs to find work outside of the Czech Republic.